‘You shouldn’t offend people like that, Jack,’ whispered Akiko, hurriedly leading him over to the table where Yamato had seated himself. ‘You do not want to be making enemies – certainly not within the Niten Ichi Ryū.’

25: THE SHINING ONE

25

THE SHINING ONE

‘I wasn’t the one who confronted him,’ said Jack, sitting cross-legged in between Akiko and Yamato.

‘It doesn’t matter,’ stressed Akiko. ‘It’s all about face.’

‘Face?’ queried Jack, but before Akiko could reply they were interrupted by several servants laden with trays of food.

The servants arranged the dishes precisely on the tables. Bowls of miso soup, fried noodles, pickled vegetables, different varieties of raw fish, some soft white cubes that were called tofu, little dishes filled with a dark salty liquid – soy sauce for dipping, informed Akiko helpfully – and a number of heaped servings of steaming boiled rice. Jack had never seen so many different types of food to choose from. The sheer variety of dishes implied that this was a highly prestigious event.

‘Itadakimasu!’ cried Masamoto, now that the banquet had been served.

‘Itadakimasu!’ responded all the students and they began to tuck in.

With so much on offer, it was difficult for Jack to know where to start. He picked up the hashi and carefully adjusted his grip. Although he was getting used to the little chopsticks, he still found small morsels tricky to eat.

‘You were saying it’s all about face,’ prompted Jack, selecting a good-sized piece of sushi.

‘Yes. It’s very important for a Japanese person never to “lose face”,’ replied Akiko.

‘How can you lose a face?’ asked Jack incredulously.

‘It’s not a physical thing, Jack,’ explained Yamato. ‘Face is our perception of another person’s status. It’s crucial to maintain face. Face translates into power and influence. If you “lose face”, you lose authority and respect.’

‘You made him “lose face” in front of his fellow students,’ agreed Akiko.

‘So, he “lost face”,’ said Jack, shrugging and pointing his hashi at the boy with the red sun kamon. ‘Who is he anyway?’

The boy stared directly at Jack, his eyes narrowing aggressively.

‘Don’t do that!’ scolded Akiko.

‘Do what?’

‘Point your hashi at him. Don’t you remember what I taught you? It is considered very rude,’ said Akiko, exasperated at Jack’s continual uncivilized behaviour. ‘And don’t leave them sticking up in your bowl of rice either!’

‘For heaven’s sake, why not?’ exclaimed Jack, immediately retrieving his offending hashi from the rice bowl. He would never get this Japanese etiquette right, he thought. There was just so much to think about for each and every action and occasion, however insignificant or senseless.

Suddenly he realized everyone on his table was staring at him. He dropped his eyes to the dish in front of him and started picking at its contents.